SCIENTOLOGY: From Science Fiction to Space Age Religion

Transcription

1 CHRISTIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE PO Box 8500, Charlotte, NC Feature Article: DS170 SCIENTOLOGY: From Science Fiction to Space Age Religion by John Weldon This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 16, number 1 (1993). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: SYNOPSIS The Church of Scientology is a controversial new religion developed by L. Ron Hubbard as an extension of his earlier psychological theories of Dianetics. Drawing on ideas from Buddhist and Hindu religious philosophy, science fiction, and Western concepts in psychology and science, L. Ron Hubbard produced a religion that sees all human beings as immortal spirits (thetans) who have forgotten their identity and become deceived by the very universe they mentally emanated in order to amuse themselves. Scientology claims it can free the thetan to realize his or her true nature and powers through certain controversial procedures that allegedly heal the mind and free the spirit. Although the church claims its beliefs are not incompatible with Christian faith, an evaluation of what Scientology teaches in the areas of God, man, the creation, salvation, and the supernatural proves this is not so. Scientology is a powerful new religion whose teachings are inconsistent with the beliefs of orthodox Christian faith. Ours is an age of religious cacophony, as was the Roman Empire of Christʹs time. From agnosticism to Hegelianism, from devil worship to scientific rationalism, from theosophical cults to philosophies of process: virtually any worldview conceivable is offered to modern man in the pluralistic marketplace of ideas. Our age is indeed in ideological and societal agony, grasping at anything and everything that can conceivably offer the ecstasy of a cosmic relationship or of a comprehensive Weltanschauung [worldview]. John Warwick Montgomery 1 One of the most intriguing and controversial items found in todayʹs religious marketplace is The Church of Scientology. The church was founded by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard ( ) in California in the 1950s as an extension of his earlier nonreligious theory of Dianetics. 2 (Dianetics is believed to deal with mind and body; Scientology with the human spirit, although they necessarily overlap in places. According to the church, technically, ʺpara Scientologyʺ is that branch of Scientology involving past lives, mysticism, the paranormal, and so forth. 3 For our purposes, the term Scientology is employed in its broadest sense.) Today, Scientology boasts over 700 centers in 65 countries and is one of the wealthiest of the new religions. Celebrities such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Jenna Elfman are only a few of the Hollywood faithful who actively endorse Scientology. But this new religion also has its critics, as stillcirculated issues of Readers Digest (May 1980, September 1981) and Time magazine (May 6, 1991) reveal.

2 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENTOLOGY The basic tenets of Scientology result from an eclectic mixture of Eastern philosophy and the personal research of Hubbard into a variety of disciplines, as well as the ʺdataʺ uncovered from ʺauditing.ʺ Auditing is Scientologyʹs ʺcounselingʺ or extensive examination of the present life and ʺpast livesʺ of the ʺpreclear,ʺ or initiate. In one of its many definitions, Hubbard has described Scientology as ʺthe Western Anglicized continuance of many earlier forms of wisdom.ʺ4 These include the Vedas, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Gnosticism and early Greek civilization; and the teachings of Jesus, Nietzsche, and Freud. According to Hubbard, ʺScientology has accomplished the goal of religion expressed in all Manʹs written history, the freeing of the soul by wisdom.ʺ5 Scientology divides the mind into two components the analytic and the reactive, roughly parallel to the conscious or rational mind and unconscious or irrational mind. Experiences of extreme shock, pain, or unconsciousness cause ʺengrams,ʺ or sensory impressions, to be recorded in the reactive mind. These mental pictures are, in turn, the cause of our emotional and even many physical problems today. 6 They can be dislodged only through Scientology. 7 While these memory pictures are perfectly recorded, they lay dormant in the mind until restimulated by a similar incident. When restimulated, they cause conditioned, stimulus response behavior that is counterproductive to oneʹs well being. Thus, when the mind sees a similar situation to a past threatening experience even though it is not now a threat to survival, it responds as if it were, producing a form of inappropriate and self defeating behavior. For example, a boy falls out of a tree just as a red car passes by and is knocked unconscious. Later, even as a man, red cars (even red things) may restimulate the episode in various ways and cause irrational reactions. This man may thus refuse to ride in a red car and may even get ill or dizzy when confronted with the possibility. In this sense, we are all more or less conditioned beings ʺmachinesʺ that simply respond to their operator (i.e., the reactive mind). Scientology believes this restimulation is fairly automatic. In other words, we are not free beings: we are slaves of an ʺaberratedʺ (reactive) mind. Scientology maintains that through Dianetic and/or Scientology therapy, we can be directly exposed to our engrams, ʺeraseʺ them, and become ʺclear,ʺ or in control of our behavior (ʺat causeʺ) rather than at the mercy of a damaged reactive mind (ʺat effectʺ). In Scientology auditing, an electronic meter ( e meter ) is used to measure variations in the preclear s galvanic skin resistence as a means of locating engrams. Unfortunately, Scientology informs us, through reincarnation we have all been accumulating engrams for trillions of years. Thus, to resolve hidden engrams, not only must the initiate be mentally whisked back to reexperience the damaging events of this life, but of many past lives as well. According to Scientology, each person is really a thetan, an immortal spirit who has been so damaged by engrams that he has forgotten he is immortal and even forgotten he is a thetan. Thetans have absolute control over their bodies, but, sadly, they think they are bodies (a terrible fate) and hence are bound by the MEST (matter, energy, space, time) universe. Each time a body dies, the thetan must enter another body, but this brings with it all its trillions of yearsʹ accumulation of engrams. Thetans thus are no longer free, but are in bondage to the material universe. 8 Scientology claims it can free the thetan. THEOLOGICAL PRESUPPOSITIONS In light of the religious claims of Scientology I will emphasize the theological presuppositions of the church in five fundamental categories God, man, creation, salvation, and the supernatural. God In the Church of Scientology the concept of God would appear to be panentheistic (believing that all finite entities are within, but not identical to, God), 9 although monotheism could also be assumed. What the church refers to as ʺthe Supreme Beingʺ is purposely left undefined and not particularly relevant in Scientology theory or practice. It is variously implied to be, or referred to as, ʺNature,ʺ ʺInfinity,ʺ ʺthe Eighth Dynamic,ʺ ʺall Thetaʺ (life), and so forth. Usually the individual Scientologist is free to interpret God in whatever manner he or she wishes. 10 2

3 Man Scientology maintains that in his true nature, man (i.e., humanity) is not the limited and pitiful body and ego he mistakenly imagines himself to be. He is a thetan whose fundamental nature is basically good and divine. He is not morally fallen at his core; rather, he is ignorant of his own perfection. His only ʺFallʺ was into matter, not sin. How did this Fall come about? Apparently, trillions of years ago thetans became bored, so they emanated mental universes to play in and amuse themselves. Soon, however, they became more and more entranced in their own creation until they were so conditioned by the manifestations of their thought processes that they lost all awareness of their true identity and spiritual nature. 11 They became hypnotized and trapped by MEST. Compounding the problem was the accumulation of endless engrams throughout trillions of years of existence. The final result was a pitiful creature indeed a materially enslaved entity existing as a mere stimulus response machine. Today only slavery to the reactive mind and bondage to the MEST universe (i.e., the physical body and environment) are what remain of once glorious spiritual beings. The Scientology concept of man is described in Scientology: A World Religion Emerges in the Space Age as follows: The PERSON in Scientology is (and discovers himself to be) a Thetan (spiritual being) of infinite creative potential who acts in, but is not part of, the physical universe... The Eternal Indestructible Self (Atman) of the Hindu Upanishads early foreshadowed the Scientology concept of the Thetan... The Thetan is also considered to be the innate source of his own projected universe, which overlaps the created universes of other Thetans in a great community of souls. Thus is formed the world of the senses, in relation to which, like the Hindu ʺLila,ʺ or ʺDivine Play,ʺ each Thetan plays the Game of Life in concert with its spiritual partners... As a Being descends...into Materiality, the manifestations of his communication become heavier and more dense, and his experience of reality deteriorates. 12 Creation The universe was not created by a single supreme being ex nihilo (out of nothing), thus having a separate existence of its own. Instead, the Scientology universe constitutes a subjective, mental emanation or ʺprojectionʺ of the thetans, having an agreed upon (and not objective) reality. Thus, the entire physical universe is a Game, a product of thetan ingenuity (designed for escaping boredom), which apparently emanates from an original thetan consensus to ʺcreateʺ in prehistory. 13 As a product of thetan minds, the universe is capable of endless manipulation by an aware or spiritually enlightened thetan. Thus, Scientologists may view psychic powers developed through their church practices as a confirmation of this teaching. But for a densely ignorant thetan (principally, all non Scientologists) the universe is a deceptive and deadly spiritual trap. Ignorant thetans are bound by engrams and think they are only physical bodies. As a result, they are weak, impotent creatures enslaved to a material universe that inhibits self realization of their nature as an immortal spirit. 14 In essence, the material creation as we know it is not only an illusion but also a powerfully destructive barrier one must overcome in order to advance spiritually. 15 Salvation This pitiful thetan slavery to MEST and one s own conditioned ignorance continued for millennia until L. Ron Hubbard discovered the secret nature of humankind and pioneered a solution to the thetanʹs misery by developing a universal plan of salvation. Through Scientology auditing, engrams may be neutralized and the thetan made increasingly self aware or ʺenlightened.ʺ By various techniques a practical methodology was developed to enable the initiate to recognize his (or her) spiritual existence, to separate from the MEST body, and to begin to exert mental control over the MEST universe. In other words, the initiate may eventually achieve a state of ʺclearʺ and then, by progressing through numerous 3

4 levels of ʺOperating Thetanʺ (ʺOTʺ), increasingly achieve self realization. (An ʺOperating Thetanʺ is one who is more and more aware of, and ʺoperatingʺ according to, his true thetan abilities.) The Supernatural The employment of psychic powers and out of body episodes (e.g., as a means for the thetan to re realize his or her true powers) is indicative of the churchʹs acceptance of the realm of the occult (although they do not use that term). A number of scholarly researchers have verified the occult nature of Scientology. 16 CRITIQUE Despite many successful attempts by the Church of Scientology to inhibit criticism, 17 there remains a sizable literature available to the researcher. Particularly helpful are: (1) government investigations and reports, (2) transcripts of innumerable court proceedings (whether Scientology functions as plaintiff or defendant), (3) scholarly review in any number of fields related to Scientology theory (e.g., philosophy, medicine, psychology, sociology, theology, ethics), (4) analysis by the popular press and investigative reporting, in both printed and visual media, and (5) the published literature of current and former members. 18 Scientology and/or Dianetics are certainly not without testable claims, even though the church alleges that Hubbard had at no time made any claims for them. 19 Still, Hubbard believed among many other things that his philosophy and methodology (1) are superior in mental health expertise, (2) (Dianetics specifically) can be 100 percent successful and increase oneʹs I.Q., (3) can solve humankindʹs major problems, and (4) are a rational and proven science (except where they impinge on the study of the spirit). 20 But before Dianetics had evolved into Scientology, it had been examined and critiqued by a variety of investigators and disputed as to its basic claims. 21 Neither are most of the claims of Scientology established. For example, one of the great legal minds of the twentieth century was Oxford educated Lord Chancellor Hailsham. He has twice held the highest office open to lawyers in England, that of Lord Chancellor, as well as being the Minister of Education and Minister of Science and Technology. Writing in a (nonofficial) book in which he reflects on his Christian faith and other faiths, he comments, ʺI do not find [Scientologyʹs] philosophical conceptions adequate to support [its] theories...the factual basis on which they claim to have produced good results on individuals do not seem to me to be fully substantiated.ʺ22 As to its mental health claims, the application of Scientology techniques has allegedly harmed some people. Problems can arise from occult activity, Scientology processes, and auditor inexperience. 23 They include hallucinations and irrational behavior, severe disorientation, strange bodily sensations, physical and mental illness, unconsciousness, and suicide. 24 (As the notes will reveal, most of the above hazards were admitted by Hubbard himself, although he maintained they only occurred through misapplication of the ʺtechnologyʺ of Scientology.) Scientology Ethics Scientology maintains a strong position outwardly on ethical issues: The practice of Scientology results in a higher level of ethics and integrity Millions already believe the Ethics of Scientology carry more weight and honesty than the traditional and confused laws of nations. 26 The Church of Scientology International memberships your link to other honest ethical people. 27 Unfortunately, Scientology does not always live up well to its own ethical confessions, partly because its ethics seem to be valid only for those it deems worthy of them. For example, critics of the church may be treated as enemies. 28 We should also note that Scientology has its own unique definitions for terms. Thus words used in the above quotations such as ethics carry not only accepted meanings but also Scientological ones. 29 4

5 Truth Is Stranger than Fiction This brings us to a related problem in Scientology: its subjective use of terms so that data is manipulated to conform to the alleged discoveries and truths of Scientology. Perhaps the most fruitful area to begin with is by noting Hubbardʹs expertise as a science fiction writer. In fact, many of the themes one finds in Scientology can also be found in his science fiction works. 30 For Hubbard ʺlife is a game,ʺ and this is about the only thing that gives it any real meaning. 31 The various exploits of thetans in the past trillions of years are their lila (or sport) the games they play to keep eternal boredom at bay. Certainly many critics would contend that the adventures of thetans as chronicled in, for example, Hubbardʹs A History of Man and Have You Lived Before This Life? should be ranked among his science fiction work. From the latter book consider one alleged ʺpast lifeʺ incident of a Scientology counselee as uncovered by a Scientology auditor using his E meter: The preclear was on Mars without a body 469,476,600 years ago, creating havoc, destroying a bridge and buildings. The people were called by an alarm to temple. PC [preclear] went and broke the back pew, and the Temple tower. He wandered in town and saw a doll in a window, and got entrapped [inside the doll] trying to move its limbs. People seized it, beat it up, and threw the doll out of the window (30 ft. drop). The doll was taken roughly to the Temple, and was zapped by a bishopʹs gun while the congregation chanted ʺGod is Love.ʺ When the people left, the doll, out of control, staggered out and was run over by a large car and a steamroller. It was then taken back to the Bishop, who ordered it to be taken (in a lorry with others) to dig trenches or ditches for 2,000 years. (The whole incident took nearly 2,000,000 years.) Then it was taken and the body was removed and the PC was promised a robot body. The thetan (PC) went up to an implant station and was put into an ice cube and went by flying saucer and was dropped at Planet ZX Hubbard himself confesses that truth is so strange one cannot actually distinguish between science fiction and science fact (a revelation he also found useful for rejecting or manipulating the ʺillusionsʺ of conventional knowledge). For example, Hubbard once noted, ʺOne of the closest pieces of work to a thetan is Alice in Wonderland...He can mock up [invent, make] white rabbits and caterpillars and Mad Hatters. Heʹd find himself right in his element.ʺ33 And, ʺWhen you look at manʹs location in the MEST Universe and what he has or has not been through the picture is just incredibly wild...itʹs just too fantastic for words, so of course, nobody would believe it.ʺ34 If we recall Hubbardʹs teaching on the material creation we remember it is an illusion: ʺThe MEST universe can be established easily to be an illusion...ʺ35 It is not that the universe does not exist; rather, it has no objective, independent reality. It is a frivolous mental game created and played by thetans. Conventional reality simply results from the primordial thetan agreement (ʺmock upʺ) and no more. 36 Thus, ʺobjectiveʺ reality is simply a temporary subjective manifestation of the mind of thetans. Such a universe, of course, cannot give true objective knowledge about things, for things per se have no independent existence and are capable of endless manipulation by an aware thetan. 37 For Hubbard, only an unaberrated thetan (i.e., one who by means of Scientology is truly enlightened) knows things as they really are and, apparently, Hubbard was the most enlightened thetan of all. This may help to explain why many Scientologists despite Hubbard s exhortations to place their own observations above his word seem to accept as true whatever Hubbard says is true, no matter how fantastic or disharmonious with currently accepted knowledge. 38 SCIENTOLOGY AND CHRISTIANITY Despite the fact that as late as 1971 (close to 20 years after the Church of Scientology was founded) at least one book by Hubbard carried the straightforward claim that ʺScientology...is not a religion,ʺ39 it has become a religion and one in competition with the Christian church. Consider a survey conducted by the Church of Scientology itself. This poll, which involved over 3,000 members, determined that the background of Scientologists is predominantly Christian (roughly 40 percent Protestant and 26 percent Catholic). A full 70 percent of those with Christian backgrounds affirmed that they still considered themselves practicing members of their Christian faith, which means that almost half (47 percent) of those polled still consider themselves Christian. 40 5

6 These findings combined with the additional facts that 37 percent of those surveyed had received college degrees and 80 percent were from the middle class indicate that Scientology constitutes an appealing and powerful organization with an educated class of people, most of whom have been recruited from Christian churches. And yet the response of Christianity to this situation has been almost nonexistent. Just as the Scientologist who considers him or herself a Christian does not recognize the inconsistency of that position, the Christian church has not yet recognized the risk Scientology poses to its own fold. In a rational universe two contrary religions might be false, but both cannot be true. Thus, if the Christian worldview is true (and I have shown elsewhere how this may be reasonably established on revelationalempirical grounds using the strict measure of legal criteria 41 ), then that which contradicts it cannot be true. In the area of theology, there are several key issues that people have pondered most consistently and most personally. They concern the area of theology proper (the existence and nature of God) as well as the questions of revealed theology (does God exist for me?), anthropology (who or what am I?), and soteriology (how can I be saved?). These questions raise the issues of the nature of God, man, and salvation. No issues are more fundamental or important for to answer these questions in error will, like a philosophical leaven, spread corruption throughout oneʹs worldview. Below we will briefly compare and contrast Scientologyʹs answers to the questions with the answers provided in the Bible. God As noted, Scientology s view of God is deliberately vague and can easily be interpreted in terms of panentheism. Nature, Infinity, and all Theta (life) are all associated with the being of God (see note 9). This contradicts the biblical teaching that there is only one sovereign and perfect Creator God from all eternity without beginning or end, immutable, who exists in three Persons, and is infinitely holy, just, and loving (e.g., Gen. 1:1; Isa. 43:10 11; Acts 5:3 4; Isa. 61:8; Mal. 3:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Titus 2:13; 1 John 4:8 10). Man Scientology teaches that man is an immortal spirit like the atman in Hinduism. As in Hinduism, man may be considered a deity of sorts who has forgotten he is divine. The Bible rejects the idea that man is an ignorant god who needs only enlightenment or self realization. Man is a creation of God, made in Godʹs image. His problems do not result from engrams or boredom, but from sin and self centeredness (Rom. 3:10 18; Eph. 2:1 3). If there is one supporting pillar of Scientology upon which everything rests, it is the concept of thetans. Nearly everything of importance in Scientology is predicated on the existence of thetans and their conforming to the status Hubbard has given them. Obviously, if there is no thetan as Hubbard defines it, the practices of Scientology are without justification. Consider the biblical view. There is only one eternal God in the universe (Isa. 43:10 11). He created man (body and spirit) as a finite creature at a point in time (Gen. 2:7). Hence it is impossible that divine beings such as Scientologyʹs thetans can exist. Biblically, then, Scientologyʹs philosophy, techniques, solutions to problems, and final goals are based upon underlying presuppositions that are inherently incorrect. Put more simply, if no thetan exists, then most of Scientology is based on error. For ʺalmost the entirety of Scientology consists of discovery and refinements of methods whereby the Thetan can be persuaded to relinquish his self imposed limitations.ʺ42 Nevertheless, because Scientology deals with the mind and certain practical considerations (e.g., communication skills) it may also use or discover relevant information about human psychology. Unfortunately, if such data is placed into an overall worldview that is false or questionable, even though the data may be true, it may be misused in support of an errant philosophy. 6

7 For example, during Scientology counseling, the auditor (counselor) may extract certain feelings or information from the initiate that indicate an irrational fear of falling and a problem with vertigo. This observation may be true. But because the more enlightened auditor has already interpreted the initiate as a thetan ignorant of its many lifetimes, and because his E meter has supposedly ʺlocatedʺ an engram (the incident related to experiencing dizziness) from ten trillion years ago, the auditor may interpret such information wrongly as a past life incident where the person is falling out of a spaceship. If we realize that the entire purpose of Scientology is to help a (biblically) nonexistent thetan realize its true nature, we must conclude that it does not deal in the realm of reality. If no thetan exists, what else may a Christian inquirer into Scientology conclude? Salvation Salvation in Scientology progresses from personal ignorance and bondage to matter into gnostic enlightenment and freedom from the MEST body and universe. At an ultimate cost of tens of thousands of dollars, one is progressively ʺsavedʺ from engrams by knowledge (Scientology beliefs) through good works (Scientology auditing and practice, etc.) to arrive at the highest state of ʺoperating thetan.ʺ The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that salvation is a free gift. One is redeemed from sin on the principle of grace, simply through faith in Christʹs atonement (Eph. 2:8 9; John 6:47; Heb. 11:1; 1 John 2:2). In conclusion, Scientology does not conform in basic worldview or particular teaching with Judeo Christian revelation in any sense; indeed, examined as a whole, it fundamentally rejects Christian faith. Hubbard rejected Christʹs deity and mission as figments of unenlightened minds and therefore Hubbardʹs philosophy ʺis not interested in saving man, but it can do much to prevent him from being ʹsaved.ʹʺ43 We may observe that Scientology does entertain a fine goal in attempting to improve the world and manʹs lot within it, whether materially or spiritually. Many practitioners are dedicated and selfless in seeking such ends. Nevertheless, each Scientologist must weigh the scales of his or her own conscience to determine the best manner in which to achieve such goals. If man is not a thetan as Scientology claims, but a fallen being in need of redemption as Christianity teaches, what will have been the fruit of a lifetime of work? It would be wise for Scientologists with a Christian background (indeed, for all Scientologists) to listen to the words of Jesus afresh: And, ʺFor what will a man be profited if he gain the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?ʺ (Matt. 16:26). ʺThis is eternal life, to know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent.ʺ (John 17:3). revised, EM 1/06 NOTES 1. John Warwick Montgomery, Faith Founded on Fact (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1978), L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics Today (Los Angeles: Church of Scientology of California, 1975), III; and LRH Personal Secretary Office, ed., What Is Scientology? (Los Angeles: Church of Scientology of California, 1978) 209; cf. Christopher Evans, Cults of Unreason (New York: Dell, 1975), for early problems and controversies. 3. L. Ron Hubbard, The Creation of Human Ability (Los Angeles: The Publications Organization Worldwide, 1968), Ibid., Ibid., 180; cf. Church of Scientology Information Service, Department of Archives, Scientology: A World Religion Emerges in the Space Age (1974), Impact or injury must be involved for an engram to register. ʺThe engram is the single and sole source of aberration and psychosomatic illness.ʺ (Hubbard, Dianetics Today, 43, 47; cf and especially ) 7. E.g., Hubbard, Dianetics Today, ; L. Ron Hubbard, The Volunteer Ministerʹs Handbook (Los Angeles: Church of Scientology of California, 1976), ; cf. the comments of former 14 year member Cyril Vosper in The Mind Benders (London: Neville Spearman, 1971), , and member Peter Gillham in Telling It Like It Is: A Course in Scientology Dissemination (Phoenix: Institute of Applied Philosophy, 1972), 26. 7

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A PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION for the CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE Prepared by: THE COMMISSION ON EDUCATION Adopted by: THE GENERAL BOARD June 20, 1952 A PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION (Detailed Statement) Any philosophy

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We Shall Be Like Him Our New Testament reading for the day transports our minds from the present day of evil, to the state of blessedness and glory that will pertain to the Age to Come: we know that, when

SCIENTIFIC THEORIES ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE WORLD AND HUMANITY Key ideas: Cosmology is about the origins of the universe which most scientists believe is caused by the Big Bang. Evolution concerns the

PART FOUR: CATHOLIC HERMENEUTICS 367 368 INTRODUCTION TO PART FOUR The term Catholic hermeneutics refers to the understanding of Christianity within Roman Catholicism. It differs from the theory and practice

Undergraduate Course Descriptions Biblical Theology (BT) BT 3229 - Biblical Theology An introduction to the principles and practice of Biblical Theology, as well as its complementary relationship to Systematic

MAIN IDEA: Paul is identified by commitment to his calling, commitment to people, and commitment to the gospel.. Paul describes himself in the first instance as a slave of Christ Jesus. This is a common

1. Of the Scriptures The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1853 We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction (1); that it has

Far Above All Ephesians 1:18-23 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Creation and Blessing: An Expositional Study of the Book of Genesis The Story of the Creation July, 2011 Key Observation: As we study the book of Genesis, we must remember that no one witnessed the creation.

There are two books laid before us to study, to prevent our falling into error; first, the volume of Scriptures, which revealed the will of God; then the volume of the Creatures, which expresses His power.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion provides a broad overview of the topics which are at the forefront of discussion in contemporary philosophy of

SANDEL ON RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE Hugh Baxter For Boston University School of Law s Conference on Michael Sandel s Justice October 14, 2010 In the final chapter of Justice, Sandel calls for a new

1 The Gospel In Galatians: Lesson 10 The Two Covenants Memory Text: But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:26) Setting The Stage: (Bible Dispensations The Cloud Church

Violet Flame Decrees Copyright Galactic Connection, 2016 The use of the Violet Consuming Flame is imperative. It is the only means by which all undesirable accumulation can be forever dissolved, consumed,

PHILOSOPHY Definition: Philosophy is defined as the love of wisdom Wisdom is summed up i s answering the question 1. What is real? 2. What is true? 2. What is good? Philosophy For the Christian, the knowledge

Kenneth Copeland's "Name It, Claim It" Heresy How effective is "Religious" Television in spreading the Gospel? Is the "electronic church" a hindrance or a boost? Christian television ministries exist within